With Lent coming up, I've been thinking about habits I rely on too much or ones that aren't useful to me anymore. What would it be like to give them up for forty days? People have used this time to try to make positive changes in their lives, do something that's hard for them, care more, give more, or pray more. I read a post on someone's Facebook page about turning problems into opportunities, and that resonated with me. I lean too much on the idea that I'm stuck in one situation or another, so during Lent, I want to rethink that idea. How am I not stuck? How could I get unstuck? How can I get excited about my life, not just for something that may happen in the future, but for something that's happening right now?

Stained-Glass Window

I walked into the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception and sat down, and as I waited for the ceremony to start, I looked around the church. The walls are so high and bright, it took a moment for my eyes to adjust. The church's stunning white walls, high ceilings, and impossibly tall stained-glass windows point upward toward the sky, while the colors and light of the windowpanes draw the eye. Humans made this building and its art, but the design reminds us of more than our humanity—more that exists somewhere else, but also here on earth.